--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we can say no not only to things…" description: "\"When we can say no not only to things that are wrong and sinful, but also to things pleasant, profitable, and good which would hinder and clog our gran..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/charles-warren-stoddard-76761_chiefs_when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-th_1416541.png" --- # When we can say no not only to things that are wrong and… ![“When we can say no not only to things that are wrong and sinful, but also to things pleasant, profitable, and good which would hinder and clog our grand duties and our chief work, we shall understand more fully what life is worth, and how to make the most of it.” quote by Charles Warren Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/charles-warren-stoddard-76761_chiefs_when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-th_1416541.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/charles-warren-stoddard-76761_chiefs_when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-th_1416541.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/charles-warren-stoddard-76761_chiefs_when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-th_1416541.png) > “When we can say no not only to things that are wrong and sinful, but also to things pleasant, profitable, and good which would hinder and clog our grand duties and our chief work, we shall understand more fully what life is worth, and how to make the most of it.” Charles Warren Stoddard ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Saying no to even pleasant temptations clarifies life's true worth and purpose. **In simple terms:** Refuse easy pleasures to find meaning. Key Takeaway Practice selective restraint. Themes ethics self-discipline purpose Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily decision making - spiritual practice - career choices Key Concepts moral philosophy personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What pleasures truly distract? - How to balance duty and joy? A Different Perspective Hard to sustain constant denial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chiefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Hate just kills you slowly from the inside, like a disease. Besides, we’ve all done sinful things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rogers-spinola/hate-just-kills-you-slowly-from-the-inside-like-a-disease-besides-we/) Jennifer Rogers Spinola > [“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dannah-gresh/those-who-are-dominated-by-the-sinful-nature-think-about-sinful/) [Dannah Gresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dannah-gresh/) > [May your Valentine's Day be full of all the sinful things people are giving up for Lent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-your-valentine-s-day-be-full-of-all-the-sinful-things-people-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I am not so much concerned about the sinful things I see in others as I am about the sinful things I see in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-kinard/i-am-not-so-much-concerned-about-the-sinful-things-i-see-in-others-as/) [Jerry Kinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-kinard/) > [If I say something which you understand fully in this regard, I probably made a mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/if-i-say-something-which-you-understand-fully-in-this-regard-i/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [The time to show up fully for life is right now, whatever the circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-time-to-show-up-fully-for-life-is-right-now-whatever-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [As we respond with caring and vision to all work, we develop our capacity to respond fully to all of life. Every action generates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarthang-tulku/as-we-respond-with-caring-and-vision-to-all-work-we-develop-our/) [Tarthang Tulku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarthang-tulku/) > [You're not fully you until life has booted you in the behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/you-re-not-fully-you-until-life-has-booted-you-in-the-behind/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [“She wanted to live, and live fully, and to give life, she who loved life! What was the good of existing, if you couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/she-wanted-to-live-and-live-fully-and-to-give-life-she-who-loved-life/) [Émile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [“When we recognize that, just like the glass, our body is already broken, that indeed we are already dead, then life becomes precious, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-levine/when-we-recognize-that-just-like-the-glass-our-body-is-already-broken/) [Stephen Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-levine/) > [“Out of this sorrowful experience I understand more fully all human strivings, thwarted ambitions, and the infinite capacity of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/out-of-this-sorrowful-experience-i-understand-more-fully-all-human/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“But now I understand something more fully that I once only understood abstractly. I see how utterly ridiculous it is to think that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tucker/but-now-i-understand-something-more-fully-that-i-once-only-understood/) [Jeffrey Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tucker/) > [“Mostly I live in this moment, right now, and I'm grateful for it. I know that most of this life lies behind me, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-curtis/mostly-i-live-in-this-moment-right-now-and-i-m-grateful-for-it-i-know/) [Tony Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-curtis/) > [Believers are right when they say that to understand a religion properly you need to get under its skin. But to understand it fully,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/believers-are-right-when-they-say-that-to-understand-a-religion/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [You will remember some of what you hear; much of what you read; more of what you see, and almost all of what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-l-moore/you-will-remember-some-of-what-you-hear-much-of-what-you-read-more-of/) [Keith L. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-l-moore/) ## More by Charles Warren Stoddard > [Rapidity does not always mean progress, and hurry is akin to waste. The old fable of the hare and the tortoise is just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-warren-stoddard/rapidity-does-not-always-mean-progress-and-hurry-is-akin-to-waste-the/) Charles Warren Stoddard > [Grace is savage and must be savage in order to be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-warren-stoddard/grace-is-savage-and-must-be-savage-in-order-to-be-perfect/) Charles Warren Stoddard Explore all 3 Charles Warren Stoddard quotes ## More Chiefs quotes > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [The chief wonder of education is that it does not ruin everybody concerned in it, teachers and taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-chief-wonder-of-education-is-that-it-does-not-ruin-everybody/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Las Vegas is a resort whose two chief sources of income are seven and eleven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/las-vegas-is-a-resort-whose-two-chief-sources-of-income-are-seven-and/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [There is no one force, no group, and no class that is the preserver of liberty. Liberty is preserved by those who are against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/there-is-no-one-force-no-group-and-no-class-that-is-the-preserver-of/) [James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/) > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [There is a wealth of unexpressed love in the world. It is one of the chief causes of sorrow evoked by death: what might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hopkins/there-is-a-wealth-of-unexpressed-love-in-the-world-it-is-one-of-the/) Arthur Hopkins > [Pure love is the chief manifestation of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/pure-love-is-the-chief-manifestation-of-education/) [Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/) > [The chief beneficiary of life insurance policies for young, single people is the life insurance agent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/the-chief-beneficiary-of-life-insurance-policies-for-young-single/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [Most of my writer friends are women, and they're all extremely talented, so of course I think the state of contemporary fiction for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/most-of-my-writer-friends-are-women-and-they-re-all-extremely/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [No commander in chief would ever say, 'I'm not going to listen to the guys on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/no-commander-in-chief-would-ever-say-i-m-not-going-to-listen-to-the/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. Let's go to North Africa, she was the chief engineer of the disastrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-m-going-to-be-specific-so-you-can-render-your-verdict-let-s-go-to/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [...virtue is attended by more peace of mind than vice, and meets with a more favourable reception from the world. I am sensible, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-is-attended-by-more-peace-of-mind-than-vice-and-meets-with-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) [Browse all 1,428 Chiefs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we can say no not only to things that are wrong and sinful, but also to things pleasant, profitable, and good which would hinder and clog our grand duties and our chief work, we shall understand more fully what life is worth, and how to make the most of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Warren Stoddard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-warren-stoddard/when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-that-are-wrong-and-sinful-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chiefs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-warren-stoddard/when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-that-are-wrong-and-sinful-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/charles-warren-stoddard-76761_chiefs_when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-th_1416541.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/charles-warren-stoddard-76761_chiefs_when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-th_1416541.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/charles-warren-stoddard-76761_chiefs_when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-th_1416541.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we can say no not only to things that are wrong and sinful, but also to things pleasant, profitable…” — Charles Warren Stoddard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Charles Warren Stoddard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-warren-stoddard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When we can say no not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-warren-stoddard/when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-that-are-wrong-and-sinful-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-warren-stoddard/when-we-can-say-no-not-only-to-things-that-are-wrong-and-sinful-but/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```